Draft guide: Top prospects, team needs, sleepers and film
ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz analyzes Zion Williamson’s chances to be a dynamic point-center in the NBA. (2:08)
The 2019 NBA draft is Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN), and there’s little consensus after the top three picks. Last weekend’s Anthony Davis trade between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers has also shaken up the proceedings, with New Orleans now holding two of the top four picks and open to trade discussions on No. 4.
Which prospects are the lottery teams likely to select? Who are the potential sleepers? What are the team needs heading into draft night?
Here’s everything you need to know about the top players available and all 30 teams before NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces the No. 1 pick.
Full draft order | Trade tracker
How will the draft go down? This top three is looking likely, but anything could happen after that:
No. 1: New Orleans Pelicans | Zion Williamson
No. 2: Memphis Grizzlies | Ja Morant
No. 3: New York Knicks | RJ Barrett
You can get the latest mock draft intel from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony right here, updated with the latest movement until the draft officially starts. 
Here are the likely lottery picks from our top 100 draft rankings:
Get a deeper dive into all the top prospects here:
Four questions about Ja Morant’s star potential
What is RJ Barrett’s real ceiling?
Who are the best prospects after the top three?
Full scouting reports on the likely first-round picks
Teams don’t always address offseason needs at the draft — and there’s a good case that they shouldn’t — but here’s how Bobby Marks breaks down each team heading into the offseason.
What future picks can be combined in draft trades? We go team-by-team on all the assets.
Plenty of longtime NBA players slip out of the first round. Our experts give names to watch:
Second-round standouts
Chuma Okeke | SF/PF | Auburn
Shamorie Ponds | G | St. John’s
DaQuan Jeffries | F | Tulsa
Outliers by draft analytics
These players rank notably higher in Kevin Pelton’s stats-only wins above replacement player (WARP) projections than our top-100 rankings.
Full strengths and weaknesses, scouting reports, highlights — get it all here.
Now that he’s officially headed to the NBA, Zion Williamson will enter the draft as the most-talked-about prospect in recent history, but we really don’t know very much about him. Mina Kimes explores his South Carolina roots.
Draft night will set up a wild free agency period that could shake up the league. Get the latest updates here.
Carter has lived through seismic shifts in pro athlete culture and league trends. The smartphone wouldn’t land until halfway through his career, and much of the power claimed by players in today’s NBA is relatively new. Carter has seen can’t-miss talents bust and obscure prospects rise to fame. He has a pretty good sense of why many NBA players succeed or fail and agreed to discuss some of these beliefs with ESPN.